Ned moved his M-16 rifle a little farther from his chest and settled his finger on the trigger.
“Maybe that’s how you do things here in Canada, stealing copters from allies, kidnapping their soldiers and using them as human shields. In the US—”
“In the US you like to force other countries to agree to military bases in their land, like the one you run in Greenland, under the excuse of space surveillance and defense operations, joint security initiatives and other bullshit like that.”
It was the commander’s men’s turn to tighten their grip around their weapons.
Justin raised his right hand, gesturing to his men to stay calm. “Those helicopters, the Seahawks behind you, were stationed in Greenland without the knowledge and the authorization of its government authorities. This is in clear violation of the treaty for the expansion of your base. It’s in your own best interest and in the interest of the US that your secret about these violations does not end up on the cover of New York Times.”
A somber mood fell over the commander’s face. “I have… I have no idea what you’re talking about, Hall,” he stuttered, waving his arms in agitation. “And you’re badly mistaken if you think you’re in a position to impose your terms on me.”
“We’re simply negotiating a peaceful and acceptable solution to everyone. We’ll be tight-lipped about your choppers. You have our word.”
Anna nodded and so did Ned. The commander began pacing back and forth. Justin focused his attention at the men standing by the Seahawks. A shootout was going to be nobody’s victory. Justin hoped the commander would make the right decision.
“What does she want?” he whispered in a low voice. He avoided Justin’s eyes, staring instead at the slushy ground around his boots.
“Emily, Sergeant Moore, will have to agree to these terms, but I believe an honorable discharge or a transfer to a detail equal to her current position is a fair deal.” Justin delivered his proposal in one quick sentence, before the commander could change his mind about reaching a compromise.
The commander entertained the proposal for a minute in his mind. At some point, he opened his mouth, but then shook his head, snapped his fingers and said nothing. He hesitated another second, then spoke in a quiet voice, “We have a deal. You’ll forget about the Seahawks, and she’ll get a transfer to Alaska or some other God-forsaken place.”
“Thank you,” Justin said.
“Thank you, sir,” Anna said with a respectful nod.
“Don’t mention it.” The commander turned around and swaggered toward the helicopters. “My men will help you bring in the wounded. We’ll leave as soon as everyone’s loaded up.”
“This way.” Justin guided the American soldiers. “Follow me.”
Ten minutes later, Emily had set up a temporary medical center in the second Seahawk. Kiawak’s stretcher was the first one to be lifted up there.
“The old wolf fought well.” His voice was weak and shaky. A bloody cough made his breathing very difficult.
“That he did,” Joe said. “A brave man. A true warrior.”
“He gave his own life to save ours,” said Kiawak. “That is… eh… amazing that is.”
“Both of you gave your best too,” Justin said. “The battle was won because you guys and the rest of the men gave their best.”
“Eh.” Joe waved off the praise with a shrug. “Get well, Kiawak. I’ll be missing you, and so will everyone else in town. But most importantly, someone very special is already waiting for your return in Arctic Bay.”
Kiawak rolled his eyes.
“Uh-huh.” Joe reached for Kiawak’s arm. “I will not let you go until you promise me you’ll talk things over with Tania. She’s too good of a girl to lose. Promise me!”
“Joe, I need to give Kiawak some morphine,” Emily said.
“Sure, in a minute,” Joe replied. “C’mon, buddy.”
Kiawak mumbled something that could be interpreted as anything but a promise.
“I’m not kidding,” Joe insisted. “You’ve got to make things work with Tania. You owe her a second chance.”
Emily raised a tall syringe with the exposed needle for everyone to see then brought it close to Joe’s hand. “Last warning. I’m not kidding either.”
Joe ignored her words.
Kiawak mustered a feeble smile. “I do. I promise.”
Joe withdrew his arm, and Emily administered the painkiller injection. Justin waved at Kiawak, whose bloodshot eyes grew heavier. He was no longer able to keep them open.
“Justin, you didn’t have to pull that miracle with the Commander,” Emily said, jumping off the helicopter. “But, thank you.” She gave him a tight, warm embrace.
“It’s the least I can do. Like I keep saying, without you, I don’t think I would be alive. I don’t think most of us would be alive at all.”
“Oh, stop it,” she said with a smile. “You’re making me blush.”
“It’s the chilling wind. Thank you again and sorry for everything.”
Emily shrugged. “Don’t worry about Carrie. I’ll take care of her as if you were sitting next to her bed, holding her hand.” She gestured toward Carrie. Her stretcher was being lifted into the helicopter.
“I don’t think she would want me to do that anymore.” Justin stroke Carrie’s hair. “I mean the holding of hands. I’ll be in the next flight. We still have a chopper in Arctic Bay.”
“Oh, yeah. If I knew how to fly it, I would have brought it here. It would have been much quicker.”
“You came just at the right time,” Anna said and gave Emily a gentle hug. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” she replied. “Goodbye.”
“Sergeant Moore, it’s time to go,” one of the sergeants whispered in her ear. “The commander wants to get the hell out of here now.”
“OK, I’ll be ready in a second,” she said in a cold, dry voice. She waved at Justin and Anna. “Take care, friends.” She hesitated a second before adding the last word, but once it came out, she reinforced her thought with a friendly smile.
A minute later, the three Seahawks were airborne.
Chapter Thirty-one
“Magnus, that’s your name, right?” Justin asked the prisoner, shoving him into the backseat of the truck, next to Anna. The makeshift handcuffs fastening Magnus’s arms behind his back made his climb into the souped-up truck a bit difficult, since he was already limping. Joe started the truck, and Justin sat behind the driver, to the left of Magnus.
“Where are we going?” Magnus asked.
“Arctic Bay,” Justin replied. “So tell me. You’re Magnus Tornbjorn?”
“Yes,” Magnus replied. He winced as he lay back in the seat.
Emily had done a great job of treating the cuts and bruises on his face, but his back and his legs had suffered severe trauma during the explosion. With not much external bleeding and given the limited space in the helicopters, Magnus was out of luck. Besides, Justin wanted to have a quiet little chat with him before flying to Iqaluit.
“OK, Magnus, what was the objective of the Danish Security Service?”
“You mean the Danish Defense Intelligence Service, who designed, executed, and finally botched up this operation?”
Justin snorted. “Come on, Magnus. We know you’re the biggest fish of our catch.”
“You’re right about that. The whale, the big whale, got away. But after all, his blubber blew up to pieces in the Hercules explosion.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The mastermind behind this mission, coded Arctic Wargame, is Gunter Madsen, an Assistant Director with the Danish Defense Intelligence Service.”